[b][i]Kingdom of Belmorn[/i][/b] [hider=Nation Status] [b]Current Leader/Government:[/b] King Marhorn Dryadson I (Elven) and Queen Alistine III (Human) [b]Settlements Owned:[/b] 2 [b]Provinces Owned:[/b] 2 [b]Population:[/b] 80,000 humans/45,000 Elves/10,000 Half-Elves [b]Standing Army:[/b] [indent] - /<600 Elves>/ - /<1,000 Humans>// - /<3,000 Elven Militia>/// [/indent] [b]Population Happiness:[/b] 65% [b]Imports:[/b] Cattle (Erimir) [b]Exports:[/b] Wheat (Jouria), Lumber (Erimir) [b]Wealth:[/b] Average [b]Alliances:[/b] [b]Trade Pacts:[/b]Erimir [b]Cease Fires:[/b] Jouria [/hider] [center][u][b]The Host of Dryadson Marches West[/b][/u][/center] The Elven King, Marhorn Dryadson I, has departed from the Belmorn-Elslen borders with his 3,000 militia. They march along seldom-walked foot paths, hidden deep in the vegetation of Erendale Forest with waggons of freshly fletched arrows and virgin longbows. They head West, towards Erimir. This is odd behaviour, not common to King Dryadson’s foreign policy. Lengthy diplomacies and half-hearted peace settlements are his usual tools in dealing with Elslen – if he goes to war, then this will be the first offensive campaign he has waged in the history of his century-old reign. Whether or not the Slave Masters of Elslen are aware of his movements however, is yet to be seen. His intentions are not known to the rest of Belmorn, but Queen Alistine III has formally ruled out human military support, saying: [i]‘King Dryadson I is as wise as he is compassionate; my role model, in many ways. If he marches to war, then he does so with rightful intent. Reluctantly, due to my ill-informed understandings of his actions, I will not commit the lives of my peoples to his cause. No messenger has been sent to me to brief me on his actions, and therefore I give him my love but withhold the Fengarde militia. Perhaps if things were more pleasant with our neighbour, the Lizardfolk of Jouria, I would have at once dispatched my beloved cousin, Constance, to make all haste to bolster King Dryadson’s force. However, with my trust falling short in our newly established non-aggression pact with Jouria, and the presence of King Dryadson’s Glade Watchers around the outskirts of Fengarde, I do not see the urgency and nor do I understand it. How then, could I ask for my people to potentially spill their blood? When so much is at stake, and so little is known?’[/i] [center][u][b]Erimir Visit Planned[/b][/u][/center] Queen Alistine III has formally requested access to the Republic of Erimir for a two-week visit, via the Halfling’s newly established embassy in Hadelmere. She has expressed great interest in the ideas of popular representation, and of the way governance is distributed there, and wishes to learn all she can from the Halfling peoples of their various state bodies. This announcement has outraged the landed gentry, who fear the Queen is listing towards massive social and constitutional reform within Belmorn’s human camp. The masses however, who suffer from wide-spread illiteracy and half of whom have only received basic education, are unchanged by this affair due to a general lack of understanding of the subject matter.